Success with Hyperlinking Takes to the Ice

Penn State’s first series as the No. 1 team in the USCHO poll didn’t go as smoothly as coach Guy Gadowsky would have hoped. With the buzz of Friday’s White Out game and bitter rival Ohio State in town, his team tied the Buckeyes on Friday before losing 6-3 the next day.

As a result, the Nittany Lions dropped in the USCHO poll this Monday, but only to the No. 4 spot, still receiving a first place vote. They also slipped out of the top spot and into No. 4 in the PairWise rankings, perhaps a more important indicator of the team’s play than the USCHO poll.

The Daily Collegian assures us that it is not time to worry, however. With a young team experiencing its first true taste of success, an off weekend was inevitable and there are a number of flaws that the Lions must fix if they hope to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the nation.

A deep group of defensemen is still having trouble cutting down odd-man rushes, a problem that persisted near the end of last season, and on offense the team regularly sought a “home run play,” as Gadowsky called it, forcing plays that weren’t there instead of simply getting a shot on net, a specialty in the Lions’ gameplan.

Off the ice and onto the gridiron, James Franklin has a fairly important day coming up, as National Signing Day falls on the first day of February, just a week and a day away. While the Lions have a number of verbal commitments from highly sought-after recruits, the possibility remains for them to flip commitments and sign with another program on Feb. 1.

Onward State laid out Franklin’s mindset heading toward the crucial day. With relatively few departures from last season, Franklin and his staff won’t have many scholarships to offer, potentially swaying some recruits to chose other programs with more space available.

It seems three things in life are certain: death, taxes and the New England Patriots making a deep playoff run. Bill Belichick has made a habit of taking rather ordinary players and turning them into stars (see: the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft).

The New York Daily News examined how Belichick discovered his newest breakout star: former Penn State lacrosse star Chris Hogan. While Belichick will forever be remembered as one of the best football coaches, he grew up a lacrosse player and fan.

With Hogan’s lax legacy with the blue and white, it’s no surprise that Belichick would take a chance on him after Hogan spent three season with the Buffalo Bills. That chance has paid off for the Pats better than anyone could have expected.